“Some Fine Cherry Pie": How to Bake the Iconic ‘Twin Peaks’ Dessert Agent Cooper Dreamed About

Food in movies and TV shows sometimes appears to be so tempting you don’t stop thinking about trying it long after having watched a film or a series. Some dishes have even gone on to turn into cultural phenomena, including the famous cherry pie that was repeatedly mentioned in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.

Despite being seemingly difficult to make, the pie won’t make you spend your entire day in the kitchen, but the result will be just as pleasing as you could ever imagine.

Here’s what you need: 300 g of top-quality flour, 227 g of butter (82.5% fat), 50 g of sugar, 6 tbsp of ice-cold water, 1/4 tsp of salt.

For the filling: 650 g of cherries, 200 g of sugar, 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 50 g of cornstarch, 30 g of butter (82.5% fat).

For coating the pie: 1 large egg, 2 tbsp of milk.

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

Cut the cold butter into cubes, add them to the bowl with the flour mixture, and rub them in thoroughly with your hands. The result should be small, buttery crumbs. You need to work quickly so the butter doesn’t melt. Add 6 tablespoons of ice-cold water to the mixture. Mix again with your hands. The dough is ready once it holds its shape when squeezed in your fist.

Press the dough against the bowl to bring it together as much as possible.

Place the dough and any remaining crumbs on the table and continue mixing. Bring the dough together into a single mass by pressing down with the heel of your palm. When a single ball forms, break off half and place it on top. Knead again, pressing down with your palms.

Divide the resulting dough into two equal parts, wrap in plastic bags or food film, and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Place the defrosted cherries and the juice left over from defrosting into a saucepan. Add 100 g of sugar and the lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.

As the cherries are being prepared, mix the cornstarch with the remaining 100 g of sugar.

After 3 minutes, the cherry filling will start to bubble — add the cornstarch-sugar mixture to it. Stir thoroughly. Add the butter and stir. When the butter has completely melted, remove the filling from the heat and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220 °C.

Start assembling the pie. Take one portion of the dough out of the fridge. Dust a mat or table with flour and roll out the dough into a circle, working from the center toward the edges. The dough should be 2 cm larger in diameter than the pie pan.

Now place the rolled-out dough into the baking pan. Use a rolling pin to do this.

Lightly dust the rolling pin and the dough with flour. Place the rolling pin on the edge of the dough and begin rolling it up, lifting the mat slightly as you go. Eventually, all the dough should be rolled onto the rolling pin. Then unroll the rolling pin over the pan and carefully place the dough inside. Fill the pan with the dough and the filling.

Now you need to make the top of the pie. Cut the dough into strips 1.5–2 cm wide and arrange them in a grid pattern. Press down on the edges of the pie to connect the base and the grid. You can trim off any excess dough.

For a beautiful golden crust, brush the pie with an egg-milk mixture. Crack the egg into a bowl and add the milk. Stir to combine. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the pie with the egg-milk mixture.

Bake the pie for 30–40 minutes at 220 °C. Once the pie has developed a golden crust, it’s ready to be removed from the oven. Let the pie cool slightly; otherwise, the filling will leak out when you cut into it.